Baldur's Gate 3 Devs Win Another GOTY Award, Not Let Into The Afterparty

thegamer.com:

It was yet another big night for Larian Studios, as Baldur's Gate 3 won big at the DICE Awards 2024. Winning in five categories including Game of the Year, this success meant that Larian got another chance to take to the stage and make an acceptance speech, using the opportunity to comment on the state of the industry.

However, after accepting the award, Larian's director of publishing Michael Douse noted that they were barred from joining the afterparty. It wasn't personal, the party was just already at max capacity by the time they got there, but it was still a bizarre end to the night for the show's big winners, unable to join in on the fun and toast their success.

While it didn't win the big Game of the Year award, Marvel's Spider-Man was another big winner, taking the top spot in six categories.

But before that, there was the big Game of the Year win. In their speech, two figures from Larian called out the industry's obsession with chasing profits and pleasing shareholders. They also commented on game ownership and layoffs, while also making it clear that the studio is not interested in making a live service.

"This is a real human industry, and we're really bad sometimes at showing that. Showing developers what they're worth and showing the players at home that we care about them," says Douse. "Many, many people were let go at the start of this year. I want you all to know that you are talented and that you matter, and that you are the future of this industry."

This was followed up by a speech from David Walgrave, Larian's head of production. "We ask you to pay one price only for the game, and that's it, you can own it for the rest of your life," says Walgrave. "We don't have shareholders but we also don't think about them [...] We don't make decisions [thinking] this could make us the most money."

Many, many people were let go at the start of this year. I want you all to know that you are talented and that you matter.

Then, just as Larian was celebrating its